Air conditioning system



Feb 21, 1950 J HU AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 17. 1945 Y INVENTOR,

do) 72 50W, BY M W A TTOR/VEX Patented Feb. 21, 1959 UNITED STATE TENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for con-- verting a liquid into the state in which it will exist as suspended finely divided particles and char ing a gas with such particles. It is adapted for use where room-humidity is to be improved, in which case the gas would be atmospheric air and the liquid would be water, but it may be used, of course, otherwise, or with other gases than air or other liquids than water, as for fumigating or exterminating purposes. It involves certain improvements over the apparatus of my Patent No. 1,994,523, or any other apparatus of its class of which I know, especially in that the conversion of the liquid into finely divided state and the charging of the gas with the resultant particles is more thorough and complete.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a view of one form of the apparatus mainly in vertical section, what I term the disrupter appearing more or less generally;

Fig. 2 shows a fragment of the apparatus in horizontal section;

Fig. 3 shows a fragment of one of the disrupter units in side elevation and the means to support it in section;

Fig. 4 is a View of some of said units and means as seen in a vertical plane cutting the units; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a modified form of unit.

An upright housing l provides a passage 2 whose intake is at 20. and whose outlet 21) is at the top of the housing, the gas to be charged with the liquid particles being delivered to the intake through a duct 3 by a motor-driven fan 4. In this example the gas is impelled by a pressure medium, as 4, but it may of course be impelled by some suction medium. The housing has a depending supporting portion 5 which at its base may form a receptacle 6 for a pan i into which so much of the liquid as fails to charge the gas may be collected, falling into the pan via a depending chute 8 of the housing.

Here assumed to occupy the whole cross-sectional area of passage 2 is what I term a liquid disrupter, having reference to its coaction with the impelled gas to disrupt and also disperse the falling liquid, so that it will become deposited on the disrupter more or less in the form of film. Referring to Fig. 1,which showsthe disruptermore or less generally, 9 designates upright substantially parallel and equally spaced diaphragms which, as will appear, are reticular and lil designates baflles between the diaphragms. Conceiving the arrangement of the baffles, in the broad aspect they are in superposed spaced tiers.

2 and spaced from each other and disposed so that any baiiie in any tier is between two of such diaphragms. But preferably the arrangement is as shown, or with the baffles in upright rows which are respectively in spaces, as i l, between those diaphragms that are separated from each other by other such spaces, as l2, here alternating with the spaces I I.

In the example shown by Figs. 1 to 4 the parts 9 and iii are formed and associated as follows: Each reticular diaphragm is composed of 9. rectangular sheet of mesh material, as wire mesh, and each baiile consists of a flat strip, as of metal. As is shown in Fig. 3, the reticular dia phragms are composed of loosely meshed fabric having large openings therethrough as compared to the diameter of the strands making up the meshed fabric. The reticular diaphragms thus offer very little resistance to the passage of 'air through them. The disrupter is not itself aunit but is composed of separable units each of which comprises two of the parts 9 joined at intervals by a plurality of the parts iii in spaced parallel relation. The parts 9 and H3 being of metal may be soldered together, as at E3; or they being assembled in the relation shown and so maintained they may all be plated, so that the'metal plating serves as a bond. For receiving and sup porting each such unit in the passage of the housing the latter may be provided with upright opposed grooved supports, here consisting of bars l4 longitudinally channeled at i la and having at the lower ends of their channels seats or rests 15, the bars being secured to the housing in any way.

The liquid may be discharged to the disrupter anywhere, as into it or above and so as to fall onto it, and desirably it should be delivered as a feeble stream. At It is the liquid nozzle taking liquid from any source, as here from a service line H and also from a branch line It? which'depends into the liquid assumed to collect in the pan l7, !9 being a pump in the serve line and 23 a check-valve in the branch-line.

In the operation, with the liquid being delivered and the blast of gas moving upward through passage 2, the liquid becomes dispersed throughout its horizontal area and besides, of course, collecting on the baffles, forms as a film on each diaphragm. The travel of the gas upwardly through the disrupter is considerably opposed by the baffies, so that it is made to assume devious courses, specifically back and forth through each diaphragm, whereby it acts to reduce the liquid films to finely divided state, and the liquid particles go to charge the gas or to exist therein in suspension. Such liquid as fails to charge the gas and thus falls from the disrupter is received by the pan 1, to be returned to the disrupter by the branch-line I8. There is preferably a conventional form of What I term a droplet eliminator 2| arranged in the passage 2 above the disrupter and which serves to gather droplets which, as such, may be impelled upwardly and undesirably discharged from the passage by the gas blast. Incidentally, such particles of dust or other foreign matter as pass With the inflowing air into the passage 2 remain by capillary at traction adhering to the liquid films on the diaphra-gms, ultimately to descend with the falling M parts of the liquid to the pan.

In Fig. 5 the baflles are afforded by the laterally extending (here horizontal) portions 22a of what is in efiect a heat-exchanger in the form of a sinuous tubular conductor 22 which may be made to conduct some fluid impelled therethrough in any way.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

V L. Air-conditioning apparatus for converting liquid into the state in which it will exist as suspended finely divided particles comprising a chamber having an upright gas passage therein, means to impel a gas through the gas passage vertically thereof, a liquid disrupter in the passage comprising a series of equally spaced parallel reticular diaphragms disposed in vertical planes, said reticular diaphragms being composed of loosely meshed fabric 'ofiering very little resistance t0 the passage of air therethrough, a series of horizontally disposed impermeable baffles located between successive pairs of diaphragms, the same number of baflles being employed .between each successive pair of diaphragms, the baffles being spaced appreciable and equal distances vertically from each other, corresponding baffles between each successive pair of d'iaphrag-ms being located in the same horizontal plane, each or the vertical spaces between the second diaphragm of a first .pair thereof and the first diaph'ragm-of a second adjacent pair thereof being devoid of battles and open throughout its extent, and means to supply liquid to the diaphragms of the disrupter.

"2. .Air c'on'di-tioning apparatus for converting liqu'id into the state in which it will exist as suspended finely divided particles comprising a chamber having an upright gas passage therein, means to impel a gas through the :gas passage vertically thereof, a liquid disrupter closely fitting Within the passage 50 that all the gas traversing the passage passes through the disrupter, said disrupter comprising a series of equally spaced parallel reticular diaphragms disposed in vertical planes, said reticular diaphragms being composed oiloos'ely meshed fabric offering very little resistance to the passage 'of air therethrough, a

series of horizontally disposed impermeable baffles located between and at least substantially contacting the diaphragms of successive pairs of diaphragms, the same number of bailles being employed between each successive pair of diaphragms, the baflles being spaced appreciable and equal distances vertically from each other, corresponding bafiles between each successive pair of diaphragms being located in the same horizontal plane, each of the vertical spaces between the second diaphragm of a first pair thereof and the first diaphragm of a second adjacent pair thereof being devoid of bafiles and open throughout its extent, and -means to supply liquid to the diaphragms of the disrupter.

3. Air-conditioning apparatus for converting liquid into the state in which it will exist as suspended finely divided particles comprising a chamber having an upright gas passage therein, means to impel a gas through the gas passage vertically thereof, a liquid disrupter disposed in the ,passage and substantially filling the passage so that all the gas traversing the passage passes through the disrupter, said disrupter comprising a series of equally spaced parallel self-sustaining reticular diap-hragms disposed in vertical planes, said reticular diaphragms being composed of loosely meshed fabric offering very little resistance to the passage of air therethrough, a series of horizontally disposed impermeable balfles located between, contacting, and connected to the 'diaphragms of successive pairs of diaphragms, the same number of bafiies being employed between each successive pair of diaphragms, the baffles being spaced appreciable and equal distances vertically from each other, corresponding bafiles between each successive pair ofdiaphragms being located in the same horizontal plane, each of the vertical spaces between the second diaphragm of :a first pair thereof and the first dia- .phragm of 'a second adjacent pair thereof being devoid of bafiies and open throughout its extent, and a liquid spray :means for directing liquid against the reticular diaphragms of the disrupter.

JOHN

REFERENCES "CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES- PATENTS Number Name 'Date 7 835,894 Smith Nov. 13,1906 1,531, 1 1'2 Lichtenthaeler 'Mar. '24, 192:5 1,883,778 Freeman Oct. 18, 1932 2,172,304 Wintermute Sept-'5, 1939 2,293,592 iBrun'dage June '4, -1940 2,326,089 Wittman l 3, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 1,468 Great Britain Jan. 21, 1909 

